A Formosan wild boar mother and baby at the Taipei Zoo on March 31, 2009.台灣野豬母子二００九年三月三十一日在台北市立動物園。

Photo: Chiu Shao-wen, Liberty Times.照片：自由時報記者邱紹雯

While hanging up laundry to dry on her balcony, a 52-year-old woman surnamed Liu was attacked at home in broad daylight by a wild boar. The animal used its protruding tusks to fatally stab her in what would become a tragic death. Liu, who lived in the Guangxing Mountain area of New Taipei City’s Xindian District, was hanging up laundry on her balcony recently when a large boar, weighing more than 100 jin (60kg), rushed onto her balcony from the hillside. Only 152cm tall, Liu was stricken by panic and picked up a broom to drive away the boar, which unexpectedly became quite perturbed and rammed into her side, using its long tusks (approximately 10cm long) to stab her, making lacerations so deep that bone was visible. After receiving treatment for three days at the hospital, they were still unable to save her life. Authorities from the fire station say that a garden on a hillside plot of land is located above where the incident occurred, and they believe the boar charged into Liu’s home looking for food.

A woman surnamed Chen who lives above Liu said that at the time of the attack she heard bloodcurdling screams coming from Liu and poked her head out to look, which was when she saw a boar running away along the sewer. Chen could clearly see blood on the boar’s tusks and says that it was quite big — approximately 1.5m long, weighing 100 jin and with tusks 10cm long. Formosan wild boars and macaques are often seen in the area around Guangxing Mountain, she says, adding that people are accustomed to seeing them, but this is the first time a wild boar has ever attacked a human.

According to the police investigation, Liu lives on the second floor of a five-story apartment building on Guangxing Rd. Since the apartment was in close proximity to a mountainous area, Liu’s balcony can be accessed from a nearby hillside. At 9am on Oct. 27, Liu was hanging up her son’s clothes to dry on the balcony when the boar charged at her. Suddenly panicking, Liu took a broom to drive away the boar, which then felt threatened and rammed into her after going berserk. Lying on the ground, the boar continued attacking Liu by stabbing her with its tusks. A neighbor looked in after hearing Liu screaming in agonizing pain, and saw her lying on the balcony with a broom next to her hand and blood flowing from her waist and legs. The neighbor immediately called the emergency hotline 119.

例: We were petrified with a full moon overhead and the bloodcurdling howls of wolves all around us.

(我們被天上的月圓與狼的咆哮給嚇呆了。)

2. mourning n.

服喪 (fu2 sang4)

例: The family is in mourning.

(這個家族正在服喪。)

3. temperamental adj.

易興奮的；易怒的 (yi4 xing1 fen4 de5; yi4 nu4 de5)

例: He’s a bit temperamental, so you should break the news gently.

(他性情不穩定，所以你該婉轉地告知他這消息。)

Last week was Liu’s first seven days of the traditional mourning period (touqi). Her son said that in the more than 20 years they have lived in the house no one had ever been attacked by a wild boar in the area. The son asks whether there was some particular reason why the boar suddenly attacked his mother this time. The relevant authorities should conduct a thorough investigation to ensure the safety of residents living in the Guangxing Mountain area, he says, adding, “I hope my mom is the last one.”

Aetas Animal Hospital president Chen Chih-wei says that using a broom to drive off a wild boar will definitely make it angry to the point that it would attack you. Taipei Zoo spokesman Chao Ming-chieh says that the breeding season for wild boars is between November and January, adding that during this time the animals can be a bit temperamental and could possibly attack humans. Wild boar’s are quite strong when it comes to ramming things, easily making a 125cc scooter fly in the air by colliding with it, so you should stay as far from wild boars as possible, Chao says.